Persistence pays

AHMEN I was on Saturday. The crew and boat were sorted for a 10:30 takeoff; plenty of time for the 11:30 start. The winds were very light. The course was basically to Gilbraltor, then Dufferin, then Finish. I was mistaken in my belief that it wouldn't rain. The other crew members were better informed. Fortunately Emi had extra foul weather gear: a dingy top. I got drenched but my upper body was OK. We had a good start and were able to hoist the chute for the run to Gilbrator. The wind dropped and at one point we drifted. Where was the wind? Adding to our misery: boats to windward and leeward had wind. Eventually I decided to take over handling the spin sheets as well as steer. Who ever handled the sheets had to be able to move the boat. I was able to find some wind and keep the chute filled in the very shifty and light conditions. We were of course now behind the fleet at the start of the next leg. Unfortunately as we went closer to shore the wind died. We decided to takedown the genoa. The concept is that in light winds the saggy genoa can not get any shape. In our search for wind the boom was manhandled from one tack to the other. Eventually we found that the main sail would fill on starboard. The genoa went up as we headed for the next mark. As we approached the next mark we noticed a large black cloud on the western horizon. We could also hear thunder. We slowly made our way to the finish. Gun! The light (no) wind and rain did not discourage us from finishing. Persistence pays!